NEUMANN RONALD HANS - Obituaries - Winnipeg Free Press Passages

passages.winnipegfreepress.com · Feb 21, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

Full Article

It is with profound sadness that our family announces the passing of our dear Ronald on January 21, 2026, in Winnipeg, MB, at the age of 81 years, having bravely battled Parkinson’s Disease for the last decade of his life.He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Elsie Neumann, and his three brothers, Harold, Richard and Gerhardt. His legacy of love lives on through his wife of 52 years, Judith, his children Carl and Jada and his granddaughter Audrey. He will be deeply missed by his sister Gertrude, his sisters-in-law Mimi, Fran and Bernice, and his many nieces, nephews, friends and colleagues. Ron was born in Regina, Saskatchewan on January 16, 1945. He completed his Bachelor of Commerce in 1966 at the University of Saskatchewan, and his Masters of Business Administration in 1969 at Pennsylvania State University. In 1971 he accepted a position with the Manitoba Provincial Government, serving as the Financial and Administrative Analyst for the Planning and Research Division of the Department of Education. In 1976, Ron moved to the Department of Finance/Executive Council, focussing on the formulation of government policy on aboriginal issues and the negotiation of agreements and arrangements with the federal government, native boards and other organizations. He was most proud of negotiating the first comprehensive Indian Child Welfare Agreement, as it was termed in those days. In 1982, Ron moved on to the role of Director, Intergovernmental Finance, Federal-Provincial Relations and Research Division. His primary focus was a continuing analysis of inter-governmental fiscal transfers, in particular, with respect to federal financing for health and higher education, equalization, income tax collections and provincial-local government fiscal arrangements. Another important part of his work was the coordination and development of the yearly provincial budgets under the direction of numerous Finance Ministers and their cabinets. In 1998, while still maintaining his position with the Manitoba Government, he was seconded by the Canadian Government, through the International Development Research Centre, to work with the Financial and Fiscal Commission of South Africa for one year. In his new role, Ron studied and provided recommendations on how national revenues will be allocated amongst the national, provincial and local governments of South Africa. Following completion of his contract, and a return to Manitoba, Ron continued to be a long-distance advisor to the South African Government, travelling back several times over the next few years. During this time, he also completed projects in Russia and Beijing, and consulting work in Rwanda, Malawi and Agra, India.In 2004, following his retirement from the Manitoba Provincial Government after 33 years, he accepted a contract to be an advisor to the Ministry of Finance in Accra, Ghana. This was followed by another contract in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, once again working on public finance management issues with the government. In April 2011, Ron finally officially “retired” back to Canada.Ron spent the final two years of his life in Holy Family Home. Words are not adequate to express our deep and heartfelt appreciation to the staff of Unit 3C for the love and care provided to Ron. In accordance with his wishes, his body has been donated to the University of Manitoba Department of Anatomy and Cell Science, for the advancement of medicine through anatomical studies. Following these studies, his remains will be cremated, and his ashes will be returned to the family. A Celebration of Life will be held to honour his memory on Saturday, May 9, 2026. Further details pending.Special thanks go out to Doug and Linda for their friendship, assistance and concern for our wellbeing. And extra special thanks are extended to Adam who has become our “second son” over the years, providing much love and support to our family, and being an amazing “uncle” to Audrey.If friends so desire, donations in Ron’s memory may be made to the Anatomical Research Fund c/o the University of Manitoba; Visit: umanitoba.ca/medicine/units/anatomy, or to a charity of your choice.